PHD T-Shaped Induction Films

This light-hearted internal engagement video series was created to support the launch of PHD’s new intranet.

After five years, PHD UK were relaunching their intranet and commissioned Content Creatures to produce a series of internal engagement videos.

The issue of longevity was a serious concern for the client. Past videos had featured employees, but the high turnover of roles and people in media meant these films often dated quickly. Our client was open to something a bit different and after some discussion and exploration we decided to develop a light-hearted character route.

We were keen develop a character with warmth and personality, something that PHD employees could relate to. After working up a few routes, we opted to go with a simple, yet flexible core character using the PHD colour palette to differentiate individuals. They were gender agnostic, but free to wear clothes, use props and, even, change shape.

As we started to work on the storyboard, we felt there was a strong sense of nostalgia in the character’s behaviour. Building on that, we chose actor Robert Ashby to provide a warm, knowing gravitas to the voiceover (a read that leant heavily on Arthur Lowe’s narration of the original Mr Men series!).

The concept was a huge success, with PHD revisiting the characters in induction packs for new starters.